Work isn’t the only thing that influences happiness, but it’s where you spend a big chunk of your waking life. Can it really make you happy? Many factors come into play – the role, the way you’re managed, the organisational culture, how much you like your colleagues – but work that matches your motivation and your interests is far more likely to keep you absorbed and reasonably contented.

What kind of job would make you happiest? Here’s your chance to find out, based on the activities and subjects that most interest you. There are no right or wrong answers, but try to use the full range rather than scoring everything in the middle.

I get a buzz out of …

How to use these scores

Look at your top three scores. Your ideal career path may be a combination of themes: if, say, your top scores are Creative use of ideas, Supporting people and Hands-on, you’ll want to ensure that you work in a team, creative approaches are encouraged, and you achieve tangible results – for example working for an outdoor training centre or in sports coaching.

How can you use this information? Make it the starting point for investigating the direction your career might take. Don’t put yourself off by believing you don’t have the experience or qualifications – all the job categories here have low-level entry points. Seek out ideas, information and – most importantly – people. Track down people doing interesting jobs and ask them what they enjoy about the roles, how they got into this line of work, and who else you should be talking to.

This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. The links are powered by Skimlinks. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that Skimlinks cookies will be set. More information.